Syrian pro-Assad protesters shout slogans as they carry pictures of Syrian President Bashar Assad during a sit-in in front of the Syrian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, March 27, 2011. (Bilal Hussein)

(Newser)
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Syria's Cabinet has stepped down, and President Bashar Assad accepted the resignation following a meeting today, according to state-run television. It's the latest concession by the government aimed at appeasing more than a week of mass protests. Assad is expected to address the nation in the next 24 hours to announce he is lifting the emergency law and moving to annul other harsh restrictions on civil liberties and political freedoms.

The resignations will not affect Assad, who holds the lion's share of power in the authoritarian regime and whose family has controlled Syria for four decades. At least 61 people have been killed in this nation of 23 million since the protests exploded on March 18, according to Human Rights Watch.